Disclaimer: Alas, Legend of Zelda, I own thee not.
"So what should we do?" Link repeated.
"Probably the best thing would be to talk to Zelda. She would know the most about what's going on here," Saria suggested.
Link couldn't help but wonder why these things always happened to him. He wasn't against the idea of saving the world, but the problem was that he had no idea exactly what he was supposed to do. They had tried collecting the Spiritual Stones last time, and that hadn't exactly worked. Unless you counted his seven year nap as a success.
"We may want to grab the-" Saria began. Suddenly, she gave a little start. Link glanced at his friend and saw her close her eyes. She became very still, and as the seconds ticked by Link became more and more concerned.
"Saria, are you alright?" No response. "Saria?"
Suddenly, her eyes snapped open, and Link could read fear in those green orbs. "There are several life-forces entering the forest," she said worriedly, looking at Link. "We need to get back to the village."
* * * * * * * * * * *
Saria raced through the Lost Woods, her heart pounding as the trees flew by on either side. If what she had felt was true, then they were already too late. She pushed that thought out of her mind, determined to save her people. She could hear Link crashing through the underbrush just behind her. They were both running as fast as their ten-year-old bodies would take them, but at this rate it wasn't going to be fast enough.
"Link," Saria called over her shoulder, "I'm going to go on ahead. Catch up with me as quickly as you can!"
"But Sar-" Link started.
Saria didn't hear the rest, because as she ran, she took a deep breath and phased. She willed her essence into a glowing sphere of green light and bolted through the forest, leaving Link far behind. Saria lost herself in the forest channels, traveling the same routes as the spirits, until she reached the cliff overlooking Kokiri Village. There she rematerialized, and slowly crept to the edge of the cliff.
The sight that met her eyes nearly made Saria faint, but she gritted her teeth as the Gerudo warriors raced through the Village. The attackers had set half the village on fire and were proceeding towards the opposite end, burning as they went. Kokiri were fleeing in the streets, only to be cut down by the faster, more agile female warriors. The entire party seemed to be moving towards the meadow of the Great Deku Tree, but they certainly weren't leaving anything in their wake.
Suddenly, a tall, dark man in a long black cloak entered the village. He surveyed the damage, and gave an evil laugh as he strode through the wreckage and bodies, headed for the Great Deku Tree. Something inside of Saria hardened at the sight of him.
"Ganondorf," she whispered. He remembered… and he was after the Spiritual Stones.
Saria stood, determined to do all she could to stop Ganondorf and avenge her people. With a harsh battle cry, she phased into the center of the village.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Link thoughts were racing almost as fast as he was as the Lost Woods quickly fell behind him. He'd forgotten about that little teleporting trick the Sages had. He just hoped Saria didn't get into any trouble before he got there. He didn't even know what trouble they were headed toward, but from Saria's behavior he'd gotten the impression that it wasn't good.
As he reached the edge of the Lost Woods, the remnants of Kokiri Village greeted Link's astonished eyes. The acrid stench of smoke pierced his nose as he glared about the village, looking for the cause of all the destruction. He saw several Gerudo warriors entering those few houses that were left standing, and heard the chilling screams of children.
A tall, black man in a large cloak caught his attention. The man stood at the entrance to the Great Deku Tree's meadow, with several Gerudo guards surrounding him. All of a sudden, a sphere of green energy struck one of his guards, knocking her to the ground. The man whirled as Link saw Saria standing in the center of the village, an angry look on her face. She screamed, "Ganondorf! You'll pay for this!" Ganondorf looked at Saria, then motioned to his guards. Eight of them broke towards Saria as Ganondorf turned towards the meadow, followed by two other guards.
Link ripped his attention away from Ganondorf to find the Gerudo quickly closing on Saria. His heart leapt into his throat and he charged forward, hand reaching for his sword. His hand slapped mere cloth, which was when Link remembered he didn't have a sword. All the same, he charged forward. After all, it couldn't possibly get worse.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Saria knew she was in trouble when eight of the Gerudo charged her, but in her blind rage she could not consider retreat. She would get Ganondorf for this, no matter what…
Saria was forced to shove these thoughts aside as the warriors approached her. She waited until the first was over a patch of grass, then motioned with her hand. The grass grew, wrapping itself around the warrior and slamming her to the ground, her scimitars clattering out of her hand. The next warrior was greeted by a blast of forest energy, and flipped head-over-heels to crash into the smoldering ruins of a house.
The third, however, finally reached Saria and sliced both scimitars at the girl's head. She was, unfortunately, too slow, as the Sage of the Forest dematerialized and appeared behind her, slamming a green palm to the back of the Gerudo. That warrior hit the ground, paralyzed.
The remaining five guards were charging in concert, so the Sage backpedaled, motioning to another patch of grass. The charging warriors staggered back as the blast of grass hit them, giving Saria some time to think. She needed to separate the warriors, but how? Then an idea hit her.
She closed her eyes and extended her arm towards the remaining warriors, who had recovered and were again stalking their prey. Suddenly, a tree crashed down from the Lost Woods directly onto her opponents. One guard was crushed beneath the trunk, while two managed to jump aside in either direction. This left two for the Sage to deal with immediately, and she smiled grimly.
The first guard charged her, and she dematerialized behind him, only to duck and roll out of the way as the second guard's scimitars sliced in at her. She raised her palm, and vines grasped the ankles of the second guard, rendering her immobile. Suddenly, Saria whirled to find the first guard nearly upon her. She raised her hand as the guard slashed down on her…
* * * * * * * * * * *
Link ran as the guard slashed down on Saria. "No!" he screamed, futilely.
There was a bright flash of green light, causing Link to shield his eyes. When he looked again, the Gerudo's scimitars had stopped mere centimeters away from Saria's hand, which was pulsing with a green light. As he watched, Saria extended her other hand, and the guard staggered back, vines growing out across her body. Saria dropped to one knee, but only Link saw the other Gerudo sneaking up behind her.
With a fierce battle cry, Link leapt off the cliff and rammed into the guard, just as she was about to swing. The guard rolled and got up quickly, centering on her new assailant, as the other two guards climbed over the tree and joined their sister.
"Got any bright ideas?" Link called to Saria, "'cause I'm making this up as I go!"
"Here," the small voice said behind him. Still kneeling, Saria raised one palm towards the grass. As Link watched, the grass swirled in her palm, forming first the outline, then the shape of a sword. Saria handed the sword to Link, then smiled grimly. "My power is exhausted. The rest is up to you, Hero of Time." And Saria collapsed on the ground.
Link turned, sword in hand, and faced the Gerudo. "All right," he said, "It's time you picked on someone your own size." And with that, he whirled into action.
A/N: As you all go plummeting off the cliffie, I've got a couple reviews to reply to:
SilverCrystal: Thanks for the encouragement! I'm glad you like the story. This update's for you.
Crab Apple Fairy: ?
That's all until next time. Please R+R!